How to Optimize Your Tablet for Gaming

Tablets have made great strides in recent years when it comes to gaming capabilities. Between 2024 and 2029, the number of users in the US media market’s “Games” segment was predicted to rise steadily by 27.8 million, or 13.78 percent. At the same time, US tablet gamers discovered that 19% of participants‘ typical tablet gaming sessions lasted between 20 and 30 minutes.

With faster processors, improved graphics, and larger screens, many tablets now provide excellent gaming experiences. However, to really unlock your tablet’s full gaming potential, you need to optimize several key settings and hardware components. Follow this guide to set up your tablet for the ultimate mobile gaming experience.

Choose a Tablet with Strong Gaming Specs

Not all tablets are created equal when it comes to gaming prowess. When selecting a tablet, keep an eye out for these key hardware specs:

  1. Processor. Choose a tablet with the newest, fastest processor you can afford. Top-tier processors like the A15 Bionic chip offer significant performance benefits.
  2. RAM. Look for at least 4GB of RAM, but 6GB or 8GB is even better for smooth multitasking.
  3. Storage. Games take up storage space quickly, so aim for 128GB or 256GB.
  4. Display. Look for a high-resolution Retina or AMOLED display in a size you find comfortable. Screens with a 120Hz refresh rate also enable super smooth frame rates.
  5. Battery life. Make sure battery life is long enough for extended gaming sessions when away from a charger.
  6. Speakers. Strongly integrated speakers or headphone jacks improve immersion in games.

Paying attention to these specs means your tablet will be able to handle intensive games from the Kevurugames studio for years to come.

Close Unnecessary Apps and Processes

Like any device, tablets perform best when resources are focused on one task. When gaming, you’ll want your tablet’s processing power directed solely towards delivering optimal performance.

To achieve this, close any apps running in the background that aren’t vital for gaming. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access the multitasking view and manually close apps not related to your game.

Also, consider toggling off certain system processes like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth if they are not required. Temporarily disabling animations and visual effects in your device settings can also free up resources for gaming performance.

With other apps and processes turned off, your games will launch faster and have more RAM space available, leading to significant framerate and stability improvements.

Adjust In-Game Graphic Settings

Graphic settings have the biggest impact on game performance and battery drain. Here are a few key adjustments to make:

  1. Resolution. Lower than native resolution saves battery life and improves FPS.
  2. Texture quality. High texture quality leads to longer load times. Reduce if needed.
  3. Shadows. Completely disabling shadows can significantly boost frame rates.
  4. Anti-aliasing. Lower forms like FXAA have less impact on performance.
  5. Post-processing. Effects like bloom and ambient occlusion hurt performance.

Take the time to experiment with each setting to find an optimal balance between maximizing frames per second and retaining enough visual fidelity for your preferences.

Set Performance Priority in Device Settings

Performance priority governs whether battery life conservation or peak performance is emphasized. When switched to “Performance Mode,” also called “High-Performance Mode” on some devices, the tablet devotes more resources to achieving higher speeds.

Gaming with performance priority enabled can provide these advantages:

  • increased frame rates;
  • faster load times;
  • more consistent performance;
  • decreased risk of thermal throttling.

The tradeoff is quicker battery drain, but for dedicated gaming sessions where you’re plugged in, the gains are worth it. Just remember to toggle the setting off afterwards.

Disable Distracting Notifications

Few things disrupt an intense gaming session quicker than push notifications sliding in. From social pings to news alerts, they undoubtedly break immersion.

Do yourself a favor by disabling notifications for non-essential apps before starting up a game. You can toggle notifications off universally in settings or target specific apps.

For extra assurance, enable Do Not Disturb mode, which silences sounds and vibrations from notifications. Your uninterrupted gaming will be all the better without distracting pop-ups competing for attention.

Restart Your Tablet Before Long Gaming Sessions

Over days and weeks of normal tablet use, cached files, updates, and new installations inevitably accumulate. These digital dust bunnies bog down performance.

To purge excess baggage and other needless temporary system files, a quick restart periodically works wonders. Consider rebooting your tablet before extended gaming sessions or playing a new graphics-intensive game for the first time.

Restarting clears out system caches, memory leaks, and bloat that have accumulated over time. You’ll return to a clean slate optimized for peak gaming performance. Think of it as taking a refreshing power nap for your tablet.

Uninstall or Disable Unnecessary Apps

Preloaded apps from manufacturers and carriers are prime candidates for removal if gaming is your tablet’s main purpose.

Debloat your tablet by uninstalling or disabling apps that are not essential for play. This helps minimize background resource consumption. Social media apps, video streaming services, news apps, and other bloatware tend to be top offenders.

Dig into settings and app menus to identify and remove or disable unneeded apps. This will benefit your tablet’s storage space, RAM availability, battery life, and overall performance.

Disable Background App Refresh

Tablets running modern mobile operating systems have Background App Refresh enabled by default. This feature allows apps to refresh content in the background when not directly in use.

The downside is that it continuously strains processor performance even when apps are inactive. These refresh cycles inevitably drain resources vital for gaming.

You can hop into your tablet’s settings to toggle off Background App Refresh universally or disable refresh abilities on a per-app basis. 

Adjust Screen Brightness to Conserve Battery Life

Cranking up screen brightness can quickly deplete tablet battery reserves during extended gaming sessions. Luckily, brightness can be turned down manually to conserve power.

Experiment with different brightness levels to find a comfortable setting that doesn’t sacrifice too much visibility while gaming. Auto-brightness toggled off prevents abrupt changes mid-game as ambient lighting shifts.

On most modern tablet devices, swiping down from the top of the screen provides quick access to brightness controls. Lower brightness saves battery, allowing you to game longer between charges.

Connect Charger During Long Gaming Sessions

Gaming puts a heavy strain on tablet batteries, resulting in quicker-than-normal depletion. If your gaming session is expected to last over an hour or two, plugging into a wall charger can help avert low battery headaches down the road.

For micro-USB-equipped slates, use a fast charge capable wall adapter to juice up rapidly while gaming simultaneously. USB-C tablets can tap into even quicker charging speeds to top off battery reserves on the fly.

Staying plugged in means less anxiety about battery levels and more focus on enjoying uninterrupted gaming. Quick top-offs between matches or levels ensure you’re never scrambling for a charger mid-battle.

Invest in a Quality Gaming Controller

Even well-optimized touch controls still lack the precise input and ergonomic comfort offered by dedicated gaming controllers. On Steam, 48 million players have used controllers in games. Yes, these are PC, console, and tablet/phone users.

Bluetooth console controllers from Sony, Microsoft and others pair perfectly with tablets for next-level gaming experiences. Investing in an Xbox One controller or DualShock 4 opens new doors for more console-quality gameplay.

Wired USB-C options also bring negligible input lag compared to wireless Bluetooth. Plus, the latest controllers feature useful features like headset jacks, vibration, motion sensors and swappable components.

Avoid Overheating By Adding a Cooling Fan

Tablets work hard to power smooth graphics and quick responsiveness while gaming, inevitably generating significant heat. Without proper cooling, thermal throttling can degrade gaming performance.

While some high-end tablets, like the iPad Pro, feature advanced heat management materials and systems, additional cooling assistance can help. Consider attaching an inexpensive USB or snap-on cooling fan accessory to avoid overheating.

Small, portable fans improve airflow circulation and heat dissipation compared to relying solely on passive cooling. 

Adjust the Gaming Environment to Optimize the Focus

It’s not just tablet settings and hardware that influence gaming prowess – environment matters as well! Consider these quick room adjustments for better focus:

  • position the tablet properly for ideal viewing angles;
  • reduce glare/reflections from lighting;
  • clear away distractions from your field of view;
  • enable Do Not Disturb notifications;
  • use gaming headphones to isolate audio;
  • set the comfortable ambient temperature.

Optimizing your immediate surroundings for gaming goes hand in hand with configuring your tablet’s software and hardware for the best experience. Don’t neglect physical environmental factors.

Conclusion

Thanks to technological advancements, tablet gaming has come a long way. With the right optimization and setup, tablets now deliver extremely immersive and smooth gameplay, rivalling dedicated gaming devices.

By following the tips outlined above, you can maximize frames per second, achieve lightning-quick load times, and enjoy advanced titles without compromise. Your future gaming enjoyment will thank you.